Within Ovechkin’s grasp, or at least within the realm of possibility, was
the breaking of the Unbreakable Record.

For the first time in years, an NHL player had a serious chance to re-set
what many students of hockey lore would consider the most secure benchmark in
the sport: Bill Mosienko’s 21-second hat trick.

The late Hall of Fame winger from Winnipeg set the gold standard for three-
goal performances on March 23, 1952, when he scored, scored and scored again
for the Chicago Blackhawks at 6:09, 6:20 and 6:30 of the third period in a game
against the New York Rangers.

“It was quite an accomplishment,” Mosienko said in an interview decades
later. “I hope (the record) stays. I was very happy and proud. It was like
being on cloud nine.“

Mosienko’s record has proven bulletproof for nearly 60 years. The closest
anyone has ever come to equalling the feat was Jean Beliveau, who bagged a 44-
second hat trick with the Montreal Canadiens in 1955.

Scoring machines such as Phil Esposito, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux
retired without eclipsing Mosienko’s mark. (The Great One, it should be noted,
had his career-fastest hat trick in two minutes and 18 seconds – an Edmonton
Oilers record until Ryan Smyth’s 2:01 triple in 2006.)

But three goals in just 21 seconds?

When Mosienko died in 1994 at age 72, news stories about his passing began,
inevitably, with references to the miracle of ’52 and his enduring hold on the
NHL’s fastest-hat-trick record.

Then, on Saturday night in Calgary, Ovechkin scored at 3:43 and 3:55 of the
second period to put himself in a position that only a handful of NHL players
have been in over the past 58 years: within striking distance of Mosienko’s 21-
second trick.

But this was not just any NHL player with a shot at the impossible.

This was Alex Ovechkin, the Russian dynamo, arguably the greatest goal
scorer on the planet today, a winner of the NHL’s Art Ross (most points) and
Rocket Richard (most goals) trophies – and already the holder of several league
and Capitals’ scoring records.

This was the guy who had just blasted twin rockets past Flames netminder
Miikka Kiprusoff, one of the best goalies in the game, in one-fifth of a minute.

This was also a guy who shares the NHL record for the fastest goal – six
seconds – after the centre-ice puck drop to start an overtime period.

Ovechkin had nine seconds left Saturday to match Mosienko’s immaculate hat
trick; he had eight seconds or less to beat it.

The Flames were dejected and in disarray after blowing a 2-1 lead in a few
flashes of Ovechkin’s stick; they were destined to give up four more goals in
the nightmarish second period that was unfolding.

But rather than stay on the ice and – just maybe – make some of the most
unexpected hockey history imaginable, Ovechkin finished celebrating goal No. 2
and took his place on the Capitals’ bench.

Tick, tick, tick. Tick, tick, tick. Tick, tick, tick.

A potential moment for the ages slipped away. The unerasable record remained
unerased. A would-be witness to history began writing this lament.

And somewhere, perhaps from his luxury box on Cloud 9 in hockey heaven, Bill
Mosienko looked down and breathed a mighty sigh of relief.